Final goodbye to Buenos Aires
Day 139 Sun 16/1 Buenos Aires
We arrived in Buenos Aires at 6:30 am! Since the ticket offices were open, I brought my ticket to Mendoza.
As I left the bus station, some folks tried the pigeon shit trick to separate me from my bags. The scam works like this: Someone smears a paste that looks like pigeon waste on your person or your bags (in my case, it was the cover that pretects my backpack.) Someone else informs of that there is shit on your person or bag and offers a helping hand to clean the stuff up – in my case an offer of a napkin and an offer to help clean. While you are engrossed in cleaning the stuff (having to put down one of your bags to do so), someone else in the team walks away with your bag or some possession. A team of 3 “worked” on me. A young man to tell me that there is something on my bag, a lady offering me a napkin and another older man who showed up after a couple of minutes to tell me that I should really clean the stuff up. Luckily, I had been informed of the scam by other travellers and travel guides. I did want to ask the 3 of them how they felt about robbing travellers and why, for folks who seemed physically fit, they couldnt look for some honest work! My Spanish isnt good enough for that, sadly.
Since the subway doesnt run at 7 am on Sundays, I decided to walk the 4k to the hostel. I took the scenic route, which took me through a plaza where I was able to clean up the paste from my bag (they do a good job with the paste. It looks very realistic. Luckily, they hadnt quite managed to incoroporate the smell!)
I arrive at the hostel sweaty from my exertions! A shower and breakfast finds me in better spirits. I decided to get some shut eye before venturing out. However, by the time I woke up from an hour-long nap, it had started raining. A real storm! Decided to stay in and watch some football. There was quite a group to watch FC Barcelona play Malaga!
Went to San Telmo at night to have dinner with a Buenos Aires native I had made friends with in Sao Paulo. We had been in touch over facebook and he had invited me to his house on a couple of occasions, but we could never synch up our schedules. It was nice to catch up over dinner. The plaza we had dinner was filled with music; there was dancing. Some folks playing candome, some folks playing some music that I couldnt recognise. A very festive atmosphere on a Sunday night!
Day 140 Mon 17/1 Buenos Aires
Headed out on walks in neighbourhoods I hadnt seen in Buenos Aires and that are removed from the usual touristic circuits. I did come across a few nice buildings and a couple of nice plazas.
Lunch was on the run, and I returned to the hostel tired and ready to rest my weary legs.
Day 141 Tue 18/1 Buenos Aires
The day was spent going back to a couple of neighbourhoods that have now become extremely familiar. The highlight of the day was my second trip to the Mueso de Bellas Artes. A few of the rooms were closed as they undergo renovation.
Wandered around a little bit as I start saying goodbye to a city that has managed to captivate me. I am almost sorry to say goodbye to Buenos Aires tomorrow!
Day 142 Wed 19/1 Buenos Aires
It rained so hard that I spent the morning finally catching up with my blog entries! The weather suited my disposition. It is a strange feeling, especially for one who is so used to being on the move. It was with a little bit of sadness that I said my goodbyes to Rosa and the other folks who worked at the hostel. I was indeed a bit sad to say goodbye to Buenos Aires.
The bus ride to Mendoza was extremely comfortable. There were a couple of kids (siblings) sitting in the seat ahead of me who couldnt keep from staring at me.
Tags: Travel
Damu